Louis de Bourbon

Born into one of the greatest noble families of France, young Louis was well-educated and a natural leader, as demonstrated by his temporary governorship of Burgundy as a teenager, and eventually being made commander of French forces against the Spanish in 1643. Despite his youth, Louis faced off against the veteran Spanish generals at Rocroi, comprehensively defeating them and ending the reign of the Spanish Tercio. The following year Louis marched into Germany to support Vicomte de Turenne. The pair fought to a draw against imperial forces at the Battle of Freiburg. The two French commanders again faced the imperial army in 1645 at Nördlingen, but this battle was again inconclusive, though it did achieve the French strategic objective of freeing Bavaria from imperial troops, at least for a while. In 1646, Louis fought in Flanders alongside the Duc de Orléans.

For the following two years, Louis had to defend his reputation due to political power struggles. However, when much of France rebelled in 1648 and Spain attempted to intervene, the French crown turned to Louis. He met the Spanish at Lens and defeated them in the final great battle of the Thirty Years War. From 1650-1653, he allied with the Spanish and fought against Turenne at the Battle of the Faubourg St. Antoine. At the Battle of the Dunes in 1658, Louis and Turenne met again, with Turenne achieving a decisive victory that led to the Treaty of the Pyrenees between Spain and France. After reconciling with the French crown, Louis fought alongside Turenne against the Dutch in 1672 before personally facing off against the Prince of Orange in the bloody Battle of Seneffe in 1674. After some more campaigns in 1675, Louis retired from the military, dying eleven years later as a national hero.

Pack contains one mounted metal miniature.